While Jerome Boateng had a highly decorated career with a World Cup win and multiple Champions League titles, the difficult ending to his playing days, which came after a period of bouncing between clubs, and the conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend, tainted the overall legacy of his career.
On Friday last week, World Cup-winning centre-back Jerome Boateng announced his retirement from football at the age of 37.
He announced his decision with a video on Instagram, saying: "I've played for a long time, for big clubs, for my country. I've learned, won, and lost. Football has given me a lot. Now, it's time to move on. Not because I have to, but because I'm ready."
"I am grateful for everything. For my teams, the fans, and the people who supported me. Above all, my family and children were always there for me. Family, friends, fans, it's time."
While the timing of the announcement for the 37-year-old footballer could not be put into question, it is ironic that one of the world's most renowned defenders in the last decade brought down the curtain on his career in such anonymous circumstances that some fans might have been surprised to find out that he hadn't already put his active career behind him.
For a man with no less than one World Cup, two Champions League titles and several German title triumphs to his name, a man recognised for his work with children and teenagers in social projects, it was a cruel fate that the last chapter of his career was written on the back of his final contract being terminated by Austrian club LASK Linz in addition to his conviction for assaulting his ex-girlfriend.
Boateng's Bundesliga rise
Born in West Berlin in 1988 to a Ghanaian father and a German mother who provided a competitive yet supportive environment, Boateng, along with his half-brother Kevin-Prince, quickly rose through the ranks of German football.
In a household where football turned into a pathway for identity and opportunity rather than just a hobby, Jerome Boateng became a symbol of success for players of diverse backgrounds as his perseverance, raw athleticism, and tactical intelligence turned him into a pivotal figure for Bayern Munich and the German national team.
After emerging from the youth team set-up at Hertha Berlin in 2002, he became a first-team regular, despite being barely 18 years of age. His raw talent caught the eye of Hamburger SV, and he joined the North German club in 2007 for around €1.1 million and went on to solidify his reputation in the Bundesliga.
After reaching two Europa League semi-finals with HSV, the centre back spent a season at Manchester City but failed to secure a regular starting place and was often played out of position in an unfamiliar right-back role.
But as he returned to the German Bundesliga with the record German champions, he turned into a cornerstone figure at Bayern Munich under the reign of Jupp Heynckes and was particularly instrumental in the club’s 2012-13 treble, winning the Bundesliga, DFB-Pokal, and Champions League.
After winning the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship, the peak of his performance for "Die Mannschaft" came during the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, where he turned into an anchor of the German rearguard en route to victory.
Golden years with Bayern and Germany
In the final between Jogi Low's national team and Lionel Messi's Argentina, it was Mario Gotze who, like Andreas Brehme in 1990, immortalised himself with the only and decisive goal. But it was Boateng who stood out among all the heroes with an overwhelming performance.
Boateng, in the following years, won the Footballer of the Year in Germany during the 2015-16 season and earned spots in UEFA Teams of the Year, but after five to six successful years at Bayern, long-term injuries began to haunt his career, and he became surplus to requirements at Bayern. That led to him falling out with coach Nico Kovac when the former Croatian international blocked a potential move to PSG, but at the same time confined Boateng to the bench.
Dark end to decorated career
Towards the end of the 2018/19 season, Boateng, who will always be associated with Lionel Messi making him stumble during the 2015 Champions League semi-final, had no desire to celebrate winning the Bundesliga title or the DFB-Pokal with his teammates, but decided to just walk straight down the tunnel after Bayern secured each of their trophies.
Boateng occasionally managed to recapture his place in the starting line-up for Bayern, but he left the German club in 2021 and spent the last four years at Lyon, Salernitana, and LASK, where he was a shadow of his former self.
Boateng still captured headlines at the end of his career, but rather than for his performances on the pitch, it was related to off-field controversy when he was handed a suspended fine and a warning after a Munich court found him guilty of premeditated bodily harm against his former partner, dating back to an incident in 2018.
Rudi Voller likes to say that when you win the World Cup, you are a World Champion for life. But for Jerome Boateng, the rather exclusive and everlasting award was stained by the delicate flaws of his personal life in one of German football's otherwise most decorated careers.